Some quick questions for a newbie

Hey, everyone!

Been playing around with OnlyOffice for a while. However, there are a couple of things I miss from Excel, and just wanted to ask if this is going to change anytime soon or if it’s because OnlyOffice logic is simply different and I need to adapt. I tried LibreOffice and it’s way underdeveloped if compared to OnlyOffice, so I think this is the way to go for a Linux user and a no-telematry policy.

  • Ctrl. + Space while editting a formula

It is super useful to have this feature with functions like XLOOKUP, in which you basically have to quickly select two nearby yet indepentend columns. Same applies to Shift + Space while editting a formula. This is super useful in Excel.

  • Dynamic Arrays

I work at product management and Dynamic Arrays are really useful because I continuously use functions like FILTER, TOCOL and lots of formulas that target to the whole column instead of just one cell.

However, OnlyOffice seem not to have Dynamic Arrays implemented. That feature makes any formula that has a multiple-cell reference work automatically as an array formula, and therefore automatically deploys through several cells as needed. Behaviour of array formulas in OnlyOffice seems a bit confusing to me, since I am used to 365 Excel.

  • Other XLSX books integration

Again, I don’t see how to put a different book in a reference. A XLOOKUP formula to check a table that is in a different XLSX file is super useful. I guess it can be done somehow and it’s just me, since I’m new to the OnlyOffice ecosystem.

  • CSV integration

This, however, looks like it’s not possible in OnlyOffice current state. One thing I do constantly as a product manager for a software development business is integrating lots of CSV files into Excel. That way, I can get lots of data into tables and extract them.

I know OnlyOffice has the option of importing CSVs, but seems to be just a copy-paste thing, instead of actual synchronization. I would have to import a CSV file EACH time, whereas Excel’s Power Query updates it constantly. Also, Excel has it in a tabulated format, whereas OnlyOffice seems to just put it in empty cells, which looks pretty unorganized.

  • JavaScript tweaks

A logical question is: if some of my questions cannot be solved since OnlyOffice can’t do it at its current state, could it be done by scripting? So a macro that automatically updates CSV info, for instance.


Thank you very much for your help.

Just in case, I’m using Windows 10 for this test, but the plan is migrating to Linux MInt 22.

Hello @Yeyo123

We will analyze this feature for further possibility to implement it in Desktop Editors. Thank you for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, Dynamic arrays are not supported yet. I’m adding your query to the existing enhancement suggestion, however, there is no ETA on it available yet.

If I understand correctly, you are looking for a possibility to reference data from external spreadsheets. Please this article from our official Help Center to find out more:
https://helpcenter.onlyoffice.com/ONLYOFFICE-Editors/ONLYOFFICE-Spreadsheet-Editor/UsageInstructions/AddExternalLinks.aspx

PowerQuery is the most suitable way for such tasks. Currently it is not supported as it is quite complex feature. Also adding your query to existing suggestion.

It really depends on the exact scenario. All methods for Spreadsheet Editor are available in our Office API: